Wire cutter



Feb.6, 1945. A, AQWESTMAN 2,368,906

WIRE CUTTER Filed Dec. 1:5, 194:

AUGUST A, WESTMAN INVENTOR A TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE v WIRE CUTTER. August A. Westman, Carnation, Wash. Application December 13, 1943, Serial No. 514,188

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a wire cutter and, more particularly, to a wire cutting tool having a compound leverage mechanism for improving the closing action of opposed jaws.

It is an important object of my invention to provide 'a wire cutter that is powerful without requiring great manual strength to operate the same.

Another object of my invention is the pro Operation of the tool or unduly complicating its a construction.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto I prefer to accomplish as follows:

According to a preferred embodiment of my invention, I dispose upon a handle a jaw rigid therewith and also a pivot adjacentthe heel of said jaw. In certain instances the jaw may have a cutting edge. pivot is a second jaw which includes a rigid angularly disposed lever portion extending from said pivot in a manner that said jaw and said lever comprise a bell crank. Pivotally attached to said lever is a second handle which lies alongside said first handle. Between said first handle remote from the jaw pivoted thereon, and said second handle relatively adjacent its pivotal connection with the lever portion of the movable jaw, is a rigid link operable during closing of the two handles together to swing the bell crank jaw about its pivotal connection with the first handle. Said rigid link and that portion of the second handle between the connection of the link with the handle and the handle with the lever comprises a toggle joint, the links of which are to be brought into substantial alignment when the two handles are closed together. Under certain circumstances the rigid link may be extended or contracted for the purposes of adjusting the two jaws to obtain proper closure. Between said second handle and said rigid link is a spring, here shown to be a bow spring, which tends to urge said handles apart and to open the jaws from their closed position. Means movable between said first handle and the lever on said movable jaw, adapted to be swung into a position for en- Mounted to swing about said.

gagement with a stud or other fixture, retains said jaws in closed relation to each other and against the urgence of the opening spring.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particue larity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method .of operation together with additional objects and advantages thereofwill best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is the view in side elevation of my wire cutting tool with portions broken away for the convenience of illustration; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the opposite side of the tool from that shown in Figure 1 and showing the tool in closed positi0n With the jaws locked together.

A wire cutting tool must have at least two totally distinct characteristics; it must be capable of severing amultitude of sizes and hardnesses of wire with ease to the operator; and it must be capable of construction so as to receive a strong closing force in the compounding of power for the cutting operation without placing undue strains and stresses upon the various working parts. Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of my invention referring to the drawing, is constituted by a first handle Ill here shown as U- shaped in cross-section and having on its forward end a jaw I 2 and pivot ears l4.

A segmental member I6 is mounted onthe pin l8 supported in pivot ears [4 so that the jaw 20 may be swung toward and away from the jaw I2.

A second handle 22, similarly U-shaped in crosssection as is handle [0, is pivotally coupled to the segment [6 by pin 24. Handles l0 and 22 as plied upon pin 30 by the closing together of handle Ill and 22 whereby the segment I6 is swung about the axis of pin I 8 to bring jaws l2 and 20 together and tend to aline the links. forming the toggle joint.

Link 26 is here shown as divided into two parts, 32 and 34 each of which preferably have roughened faces. One of the two parts is slotted and shown a portion of the other side of the tool than which appears in Figure 1,, there will be seen a latch link 46 pivotallymountedon'the'handle II] by pin 48 having a notch at its opposite end for engagement on a protruding portion of the pivot pin 24. tates the manual movement of the latch link- 46 into or out of a locking position.

An outstanding flange 52 facili- I closed position, all that need be done is to swing the latch link 46 from the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 to the solid line position shown in Figure 2.

While I have shown and described particular embodiments of my invention, it will occur to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications'may be made without departing from the invention, and I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modificationsasfall within the true spirit and scope of my invention. 1

' 3 Thus having described my invention, I claim:

1. A wire cutter, comprising: a first handle having a. cutting jaw, a pivot on said handle ad- ,jacent the, heel of said cutting jaw, a second cut- Assuming the tool to be open as shown in Figure 1 and a wire W to becut, the jaws'of the tool are brought into engagement with wireww and the handles II) and 22 are closed together by'the operator manually' "As the two jaws close together, the link*2 6 being'immovable on handle l0, because of its'pivotal connection therewith by the pin 23, causes the pin 3fl'to swing in an are about pin 28 in a direction toward the jaws of the tool. This action in turn urges-the pin 24 torwardin an are about the axis ofthe pin l8, causingthe'segment It to swing and the jaws, l2 and to close-together, The action' is that of a toggle joint and a material-compounding of the power applied to the jaws l2, 'and20 results. A cutting or gripping operation between these jaws is relatively easy. During such a closing operation the bow spring 48 ismore greatly bowed than'is shown in' Figure'l so that'thepower stored thereinduring a jaw closing operation will be -.available-whenthe power is released from handle-s10 and 22. Spring causes the jaws to open and the handlemembers to be spread apart.

It is important that the jaws l2 and 20 be adjustedproperly' with relation to each other, and in-order to accomplish this adjustment simply I divide link 26 into. two portions whereby it may be elongated orshortened in the manner previ ously described. Such an adjustment would occasionally be necessitated by'resharpeningof one orboth of the jaws or because of wear in the various pivots. "To close the jaws and -retain them in that ting jaw mounted in said pivot adjacent the heel of said jaw-toswing into cutting relation with respectto the jaw on the first handle, a lever angularly and rigidly disposed in respect to said second ,jaw, two' links pivoted together, to form a'toggle joint, one: of said linksbeing pivoted to I said lever and the other ofsaid-links being-pivoted to said first? handle whereby the toggle joint is disposed betweenisaid first handle and said lever, a handle extension on the: link of said toggle jointzpivoted'to'zthe lever, a bow spring between the other link of said toggle joint and said handlehextension-to urgebreaking of said toggle joint and consequent opening of the cutting jaws.

2. "A wire cutter comprising: a, first handle having a cuttingijaw, a pivot on said handle adjacent the heel of said cutting jaw, a second cutting jaw mounted in said pivot adjacent the heel of ,said jaw to swing into cutting'relation with respect to the jaw on" the first'handle, a lever angularly -and rigidly disposed in respect to said second jaw, two links pivoted together, to form a toggle'joint; one of said links being pivoted'to said lever and the other of said links being pivoted to said first handle whereby the'toggle joint is disposed between said first handle and'said lever, said link pivoted to'sai d first handle having 5 a notch adjacent the intermediate pivot of the toggle joint, anda bow spring anchored to said second handle and'seated in said notch to urge breaking of said toggle joint and consequent opening of the cutting jaws.

'AUGUST A. 'WES'IMAN. 

